


i like you a latte

by pochin



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, teen rating is just for the swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:41:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29925309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pochin/pseuds/pochin
Summary: Shinsuke starts getting offended the fourth consecutive time he catches their new regular wrinkling his nose as he sips his chocolate ice cream latte.
Relationships: Kita Shinsuke/Miya Atsumu
Comments: 6
Kudos: 53
Collections: Atsukita Week





	i like you a latte

Shinsuke starts getting offended the fourth consecutive time he catches their new regular wrinkling his nose as he sips his chocolate ice cream latte.

Look, he's not saying he's the best barista in the world, or anything close to that. But he does take pride in his work, and his work is currently being frowned upon by this hot mess of a human being (no, literally—this customer's hair is all mussed up and the dark circles under his eyes indicate a gruesome lack of sleep; he looks like an absolute trainwreck...but an attractive trainwreck. Shinsuke begrudgingly accepts this fact.) He makes every single fucking drink in this fucking café with so much fucking care that his grandmother even bought a fucking milk steamer so he could practice fucking latte art;  _ that's _ how dedicated Shinsuke is to his craft.

Shinsuke wouldn't have minded if it was a one-time thing, or if the handsome blond stranger had informed him of whatever he found unpleasant so he could rectify it. But  _ no _ , handsome blond stranger just pouts at his order—always the same one—and thanks him with a dimpled smile before strutting off.

(He's thought about suggesting the removal of the traitorous chocolate ice cream latte from the menu so he doesn't have to deal with this shit anymore, but when he imagines the handsome blond stranger's face falling in dismay, he immediately chucks that idea out the window.)

Handsome blond stranger—Atsumu is his name, if he remembers correctly—continues to sip his stupid drink as he turns the pages of a thick textbook, and Shinsuke continues to mull over what he's getting wrong as he works on another latte.

☕

Admittedly, the first time Shinsuke sees the handsome blond stranger, he's entranced by how good-looking he is.

He goes straight to business, pumping out a chocolate ice cream latte as soon as he's told to and sliding it across the counter to the customer's waiting hands. Shinsuke doesn't have time to dilly-dally; it's the morning rush and they have a bajillion more orders to crank out, but he stops in his tracks when he sees the handsome blond stanger puff his cheeks out and stare forlornly at his drink.

Shinsuke steels himself to ask if there's any problems, but the handsome blond stranger simply picks the drink up, mouths a thank you, and goes on his merry way.

Shinsuke won't admit it, but he thinks about this encounter from time to time.

☕

The second time the customer drops by leaves Shinsuke more baffled than the first.

It's a slow day, though it's nothing special for a Wednesday afternoon. He's asked to make a chocolate ice cream latte, and when he looks up he finds the handsome blond stranger already waiting at the pick-up counter with a gentle smile. He leans against the counter, gaze flitting to the bean grinders, to the portafilters, to the espresso machines with the freshly wiped steam wands, to the milk steamers and frothers, to the cups, saucers, and spoons sitting dry and ready for use, and finally to the tamping stand in Shinsuke's hand. The customer's smile grows into a blinding grin, and the gleam in his eyes is childish wonder.

Shinsuke finds it endearing.

He gets started on the order with practiced ease and precision, using one hand to fill up a cup with ice and pulling out milk from the fridge with his other. A generous serving of whipped cream cradles a scoop of chocolate ice cream, drizzled with chocolate syrup and chocolate chips.

If Shinsuke adds more toppings than usual, no one needs to know.

But alas, his jovial mood drops when he hands the drink over to the customer.

He hasn't even  _ tasted _ it yet but he's already eyeing it with distaste, eyebrows furrowed and mouth puckered into a little pout. It would be cute if the circumstances were different.

This time, Shinsuke doesn't hold back. "Is there anything wrong with the drink...," he checks the name scrawled on the plastic cup again. "Atsumu-san?"

That seems to bring the customer out of his stupor. "Nope, everything's fine!" He grabs his drink with a flourish and makes a show of sipping, letting out a (probably fake) satisfied hum. He turns around to leave, but not without a wave goodbye. "Thank you for the drink..." Atsumu squints at Shinsuke's name tag. "Shinsuke-san."

Shinsuke stares after his back, gaze stoic and calculating. Atsumu-san isn't rude, or at least he's actively trying  _ not _ to be, so he's definitely not the problem.

Shinsuke clicks his tongue in self-reproach. It must be the drink, then.

☕

The third time Atsumu-san comes by, Shinsuke is prepared.

He's already starting on a chocolate ice cream latte as soon as he sees Atsumu-san step up to the order counter. He makes sure there's enough ice to keep the drink cold but not so much that there's hardly any of the drink inside, and he pours an ungodly amount of chocolate sauce into the milk for extra chocolatey flavor. He scoops out an obscene amount of ice cream that he most definitely shouldn't be doling out and plops it on top of a whipped cream mini mountain. He almost empties out the chocolate syrup for ganish, and he sprinkles as many chocolate chips as he can get away with. Satisfied with the monster he has created, he waits for Atsumu-san to sidle over to the pick-up counter.

"Ta-da", Shinsuke exclaims, proudly presenting the sugary mess.

To his credit, Atsumu-san beams at him as he picks up the drink. His smile grows and grows as he slowly turns the drink around, inspecting it on all sides. He nods appreciatively every few seconds, and Shinsuke has to hold back a grin of his own.

But then it happens.

It's a small gesture, one Shinsuke wouldn't have caught if he wasn't looking for it. Atsumu-san's grin falters just the slightest bit when his eyes land on the top layer of the drink, and Shinsuke just barely resists the urge to scream.

Atsumu-san turns to him then, smile back in full force. The thank you Shinsuke receives is voiced this time, sounding so sincere that it makes Shinsuke's (formerly thought to be) ice cold heart melt. The bags under his eyes are darker than Shinsuke has ever seen them, and Atsumu-san's visible delight when he takes a sip of Shinsuke's concoction almost makes him forget about it. Obviously, Atsumu-san is going through a rough time, and Shinsuke shouldn't stress him out more by hounding him for answers to unimportant questions.

Maybe he could live without ever knowing what about his chocolate ice cream latte is so detestable. If the warmth he feels when he sees Atsumu-san sag in relief as he takes another sip always stays, then maybe he could live like this.

☕

He cannot live like this.

Shinsuke watches as Atsumu-san makes another face at his drink, but at least he has the decency to wait until Shinsuke busies himself with cleaning up before doing so. Unfortunately for his efforts, his reflection is mirrored in the glass covering the countertop.

He's looking better now, dark circles receding and hair looking like it's met a comb recently, so Shinsuke feels slightly less bad about how irritation claws up his being. And when Atsumu-san stands up from the booth he's claimed as his for the last two hours to order a slice of chocolate mousse, Shinsuke gives him the thinnest one out of spite.

(He feels bad about it later on, especially when Atsumu-san tugs on his hair while scowling at a thick stack of reviewers, so he places a brownie on his table silently as reparation.

Just before he clocks out, long after Atsumu-san has left, Rintarou the cashier hands him money that amounts to how much the brownie costs without an explanation—not that he needed one.)

☕

The next time Shinsuke sees Atsumu-san, he makes up his mind quickly.

Shinsuke's not one for theatrics, but the weeks he's spent making chocolate ice cream lattes for this particular customer has plagued him with thoughts ranging from  _ what's so bad about how I prepare this glorified choco milk _ to  _ what if I'm not good enough to do anything. _ And since he's all about self-love, he's not going to let his self-esteem hit rock bottom—not even for a cute boy.

So when the inevitable happens (r.e. Atsumu-san trying his best to hide his disdain as he pokes a straw through the lid), Shinsuke mutters, "You know, if ya hated it so much, maybe you should just order somethin' else."

Atsumu-san's response is a clueless "huh?" paired with the cutest confused expression Shinsuke has ever seen. (He shakes his head to get rid of the thought.)

Shinsuke makes sure there's no one needing to be served before he focuses on a fidgeting Atsumu-san. He keeps it short and simple. "Why are ya always frowning at the choco ice cream lattes I serve ya?"

Atsumu-san looks pained, and Shinsuke immediately feels terrible. But before he can do damage control and assure him that he's not mad, just curious, Atsumu-san mumbles something under his breath.

It's Shinsuke's turn to say "huh?", leaning closer to Atsumu-san. "Could you repeat that?"

"...I don't like whipped cream."

Oh.

_ Oh. _

Everything makes sense now.

There's a faint dusting of pink on Atsumu-san's cheeks and Shinsuke, in a moment of madness, thinks shame looks good on him. "I don't like how whipped cream tastes and I was too shy to ask ya ta forgo it...sorry. It won't happen again," Atsumu-san scrambles to grab his drink and mutters a barely audible thank you, speedwalking out of the café faster than Shinsuke can apologize for being so nosy.

Atsumu-san doesn't look back, and he doesn't step into the café again for two months.

☕

Atsumu-san comes back on a beautiful spring afternoon, accompanied by the blooming of cherry blossoms.

He and his workmate Rintarou have switched stations this week for reasons their manager had refused to disclose (though it might have something to do with Rintarou accidentally spilling a drink on the cash register), and as he looks up to serve whoever's next in line, he sees a miracle materialize in front of him.

Standing before him is Atsumu-san, with grey hair instead of the usual bright blond. But behind him is  _ also _ Atsumu-san, with the same golden head that he's come to look for almost desperately during every shift.

Shinsuke blinks once, twice. And then he clears his throat to take their orders, like a good worker bee would. "What can I get for ya today?"

"One americano please, large." Atsumu-san's clone (twin?) responds, eyeing him curiously. He pokes and prods at his look-alike, who seems to be very preoccupied with their interior decor.

Shinsuke turns to him. "Anything I can get'cha?" 

Atsumu-san (real version?) shakes his head no, and that's the end of that. Shinsuke tries to stave off the rising disappointment.

He can't make small talk since there are people in line behind them, so he stews in missed opportunity as he punches in the order.

However, Shinsuke must be extremely pitiful today, because Lady Luck smiles down at him and makes sure the conversation happening at the pickup counter is perfectly audible.

"Hi, Samu. Tsumu."

"Why does Samu get greeted first?" whines Atsumu-san #1, while Atsumu-san #2 simply says, "Good to see ya, Rin".

"Here you go, one large americano. You sure you don't want anything, Tsumu?"

A snicker. "Yer not getting any money outta me today, Sunarin."

"Just checking. Thought you would have wanted another one of those sugar bombs you've been chugging for weeks, since you haven't dropped by in—" A pause. "Two months."

Shinsuke can't help it—he lets his gaze roam over to Atsumu-san (or just Atsumu, if he's as old as Rintarou), who scratches his head and lets out a nervous laugh. "Got busy, is all."

The excuse is flimsy, but Rintarou lets him off easy with a hum. "Alright, if you say so."

Shinsuke reluctantly interrupts their conversation with a request for two strawberry lattes, and Atsumu gives him a hesitant wave as they turn to go. Shinsuke returns it with what he hopes is a friendly smile.

_ It's progress _ , he tells himself. Hopefully by the next time Atsumu comes, he could look Shinsuke in the eyes again.

☕

It takes another week of Still No Atsumu before Rintarou is pulling Shinsuke aside after closing down.

"Listen, Shin-san. I hate to be the one to do the confessing for him, but Atsumu's a coward. There is absolutely no fucking way Atsumu is going to make the first move, so you'll have to do it for him."

Shinsuke considers playing dumb and telling Rintarou that he doesn't know what he's talking about, but honestly, he's growing tired of the waiting game too. And this is coming from  _ Shinsuke _ , the most patient person around.

So Shinsuke sighs, resigning himself to the fate of the Pursuer (not that he minds), and asks Rintarou to tell him more about Atsumu.

(The price of Rintarou's intel is a meal from KFC and bubble tea for dessert, but as Shinsuke buys a can of chocolate whipped cream from the nearest grocery store, he thinks it's worth it if he could see Atsumu's smile directed at him again.)

☕

Shinsuke doesn't wait for Atsumu to come back to the café. In fact, he marches over to the Cold Stone branch a few minutes away from Atsumu's—coincidentally also his—uni, and plops a chocolate ice cream latte in front of a wide eyed Atsumu. "Here."

Atsumu looks at it, then at Shinsuke, then at the sad, empty ice cream cup situated near a myriad of multicolored highlighters. Atsumu gestures for Shinsuke to take the seat in front of him and waits for him to settle in before gingerly taking the drink into his hands.

"Chocolate whipped cream," Shinsuke starts. "Doesn't taste the same as regular whipped cream, but if ya don't like how that tastes either I could just replace the cream with another scoop of ice cream so you still get yer money's worth."

When Atsumu still doesn't say anything, Shinsuke starts rambling. It's extremely unbecoming, but apparently he's willing to embarrass himself if it means reassuring Atsumu. Go figure. "I didn't mean it as anything awful. I wasn't even angry. It was just really befuddling how ya kept ordering it even when you didn't seem ta like it, but apparently ya do 'cause yer face lights up like a Christmas tree whenever ya take a sip. Though that's probably because ya don't really taste the whipped cream unless you reach the bottom of the cup or until ya mix it, which ya don't do. I'm very sorry, Atsumu—can I call ya that?"

Atsumu nods aggressively. "'Course, Shinsuke-san.

"And, uh," Atsumu starts fidgeting again, just like he did when Shinsuke had first confronted him. He remembers how he had wanted to comfort him then, and then he realizes that nothing is stopping him from doing so now.

He, very gently, slow enough that Atsumu could stop him at any moment, takes one of Atsumu's shaking hands and holds it in his own. There are no complaints, so he takes the other one into his grasp as well. Atsumu stares at their clasped hands, face burning.

Shinsuke doesn't urge him to speak, rubbing a thumb along Atsumu's knuckles to sooth his nerves. Atsumu speaks as Shinsuke gives his hands a firm squeeze. "It's my bad for not telling ya earlier, don't be sorry."

"I'd like you to tell me if there's anything else I could do for you in the future, ya hear?" Shinsuke coaxes. "Not just latte-wise. Since we're in the same uni and all, if there's ever anything I could help ya with, just let me know. I'm a pretty reliable senpai, if I do say so myself."

Atsumu nods again, less fiercely but with just as much conviction. "Yes, Shinsuke-san."

If this were any other person Shinsuke would have left it at that, but this was Atsumu. Atsumu with the semi-alarming sweet tooth and a smile so bright that it could rival the sun. Atsumu who would always drop a bill or two into the tip box, Atsumu who had an aversion to whipped cream, but still drank his drinks with very little fuss. Atsumu who, Shinsuke is quickly finding out, is quick to blush, and fun to tease. "Ain't that too formal a name, Atsumu?"

Atsumu sputters a "Shinsuke-kun? Shinsuke-chan? SHINSUKE-SAMA?!" while Shinsuke lets out a laugh, loud and clear and filled with mirth.

Shinsuke smiles as Atsumu complains about how he's only known him properly for an hour and yet he's already picking on him. The atmosphere is lighter now; Atsumu is a talker, and Shinsuke indulges him.

His eyes stray to the table as Atsumu packs up his things so they can go out for dinner (Shinsuke's treat), and his mouth curls into a satisfied smirk.

The empty choco ice cream latte cup feels like success.

**Author's Note:**

> • The chocolate (ice cream) lattes I mention here wouldn't have a drop of coffee (lattes just generally mean milk-based drinks) but feel free to imagine them with espresso if you'd like!  
> • extremely late entry for atsukita week d-7: free day ahahaha i'm so sorry >.<


End file.
